


Cinnamon Lilacs

by softwhiskeyjack



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Archery Training, F/M, Fluff, Tsundere Takumi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softwhiskeyjack/pseuds/softwhiskeyjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He watches her when she’s not looking; waiting for the moment when she’ll turn on them. She watches him when he’s not looking; waiting for the moment he’ll let her in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cinnamon Lilacs

**Author's Note:**

> For an anon request on Tumblr: "i love your writing. i think the words are always perfectly chosen and everything flows really well. i would like to ask if you could write some takumi fluff :3 maybe him watching f!kamui because he doesn’t trust her and then he slowly starts to like her. or, honestly, doesn’t matter. just need me some more takumi."
> 
> Don't mind me, just moving some fics over from Tumblr onto AO3 to archive them!

**I.**

_“Archery is your specialty, right? Please teach me…”_

_“… Fine… I guess I can do that much. But don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re supposed to be my sister.”_

Did she really think that would endear her to him? Moreover, why did he even agree?

Takumi re-strings the bow in his hands with sharp movements.

Ah, right, it was to keep an eye on that woman… and to get his siblings off his back. He had told them that he would try to get along with that woman though there would be no promises. He also isn’t going to let his wariness of her affect the morale of the army and their training sessions together would help them appear close.

But that doesn’t mean he hadn’t briefly entertained the idea of teaching her wrongly. Ultimately, his pride as an archer had stopped him from pursuing the idea any further… though he hopes he won’t have to regret this decision.

“Brother!”

His thoughts are interrupted by her voice and he looks up with a blank expression to see her approach him. “… Kamui.”

Takumi makes her stand in front of him in silence as he checks and re-checks the bow in his hands. He finally nods in satisfaction and stands up before handing her the weapon and jumping straight into the lesson.

“We’ve already gone through the basics of positioning so let’s see you replicate what I taught you last time.”

She obeys him without a complaint and quickly assumes the stance. He circles her with a growing frown on his face.

“Raise your arm higher! And spread your legs wider to brace yourself unless you only want to be able to shoot a few yards in front of you… What are those shoulders doing? Drop them!”

He deftly ignores the sensation of those eyes being focused on him and hanging onto his every word.

**II.**

“Takumi!”

Takumi stiffens upon hearing his brother, Ryouma, call out to him before he forcibly relaxes his shoulders and remains leaning against his tree on the outskirts of the clearing.

“Lord Brother.”

It is a curt greeting but Ryouma is unfazed by it, knowing that is just how his little brother is. He comes up to the tree and follows Takumi’s line of sight to the center of the clearing where he can see three girls smiling widely and talking cheerfully.

“… I never thought I’d be able to see this sight again; all of our sisters happily together.”

“Is she though?”

Ryouma’s eyes cut over to Takumi’s expressionless face. He doesn’t need to ask what Takumi is referring to.

"I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn. She’s finally returned home to where she belongs; with us.”

“You’re being too optimistic, brother, or willfully blind. She was raised in Nohr for most of her life and what memories she has of us must be nothing but hazy images.” He straightens from his position and turns to face his brother. “What if this is all some kind of ploy to have us drop our guards? Or what if she’s just here to steal as much information on us as she can?”

“Kamui isn’t that type of person.” Ryouma frowns.

“… I just wonder how well you actually know her instead of this image you’ve built up in your head.”

“And I think you’re letting your hatred cloud your vision of her unfairly. Give her a chance, Takumi. She’s still the same sister that we had years ago.”

Takumi scowls at that but Ryouma only laughs and clamps a heavy hand on his shoulder before leaving to join the girls, who welcome him with delighted exclamations. Soon, the only thing Takumi hears are joyful voices talking about everything and anything.

…

He doesn’t begrudge his siblings their happiness… it just means that he has to be the one to protect their backs. He casts a narrowed glance over the gathering before turning and striding away, unaware of the pair of eyes that follow his retreating back.

**III.**

He catches her training by herself when she thinks no one is watching.

Takumi has to applaud her drive to improve and her diligence, but at the same time he can’t help but feel a growing sense of irritation. No matter how many drills he makes her run she has no complaints. No matter how many times he forces her to correct her posture she obeys without hesitation.

It doesn’t help that he’s starting to hear constant praises for her around the camp; about her kindness, strength, and leadership. It’s almost to the point where he can’t go a day without hearing her name on someone’s lips. Everywhere he turns it’s “Kamui this” and “Kamui that”.

When she approaches him later on in the evening for their usual lesson, he interrupts her brusquely. 

“I caught you training by yourself earlier. Don’t do that. You’ll only be too tired for our lessons.”

Kamui looks startled upon hearing his words and a strange expression crosses her face before she looks down and nods. “I’m sorry, brother.”

“You might also develop bad habits that would be annoying for me to have to correct.”

“I’m sorry.”

He feels himself clenching his jaw. “And if you were to get injured from your carelessness that would waste even more of my time in teaching you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop that! Say something back instead of just apologizing! You always accept everything I say without a word. Why do you even want to learn archery from me?!”

“… I…” She clasps her hands around her wrists, “… just want to get to know you better, brother.”

“Don’t call me that!”

He regrets the words the moment they come out; sharp and biting. The flare of irritation that carried those words dies out instantly and leaves only ashes in his mouth.

“… Lord Takumi.”

“… Don’t call me that either.”

“…”

“… just… just Takumi is fine.”

There is a silence between them that gapes.

“Go back to camp. There’s no lesson tonight.” Takumi turns and walks away without another word, unshouldering the bow that he has brought. He needs to hunt something.

**IV.**

She injured herself. Stupid, idiotic, and frustrating woman.

Takumi paces back and forth in the privacy of his tent.

He had told her to stop training alone but then their training sessions had become longer and longer and more strenuous. Next thing that happened was her injuring herself.

He should have stopped her sooner. He shouldn’t have been so strict on her.

Takumi stops abruptly and scowls at his own thoughts. It’s only irritating because, as her teacher, he should have known the limitations in his student. And now time would be wasted as they waited for her injury to heal. That’s all.

He turns on his heel and walks over to his pack of belongings before digging through it. He finds the small container with ease and heads towards the entrance of his tent without a second thought.

“Guard!”

“Yes, Lord Takumi?” One of the guards that are standing on watch outside of his tent pokes their head in.

“Take this to my sis-, no, Lady Kamui.”

He moves to hand over the small container to the guard but hesitates.

“… my lord?”

“Tell her to apply it twice daily. Once in the morning and once before bed. Also, let her know that our archery lessons won’t resume until she’s healed… and that I don’t want to catch her sneaking off to train.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Takumi watches the guard leave before turning back to the inside of his tent. His eyes land on the open pack of his belongings and a letter peeking out of it. He turns away resolutely.

**V.**

It’s a clear sky on the day that he sends a message to Kamui telling her to meet him. He sits on a stump in the center of a clearing as he waits for her to come. There’s a bow beside him and a worn letter in his hand that he has read and re-read a thousand times by now.

It’s been months since he started training Kamui in archery and she’s learned all of what she needs to know. There’s nothing more after this except spending years of practicing the same thing to perfect it. 

The sound of approaching footsteps makes him raise his head.

“Takumi, is something wrong? You don’t usually call for me.” The words “outside of training” goes unspoken between them.

“No, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to give you something.” He stands up and pockets the letter before picking up the bow from beside him and holding it out to her. “… It doesn’t look like much but it’s one of my old bows and it’s still in good shape. I’ve got a better one and don’t really use this one anymore so… I thought it’d get more use in your hands than mine.”

Kamui stares at it with wide eyes.

“You’ve learned everything that I have to teach you. You just need to continue practicing and then you’ll be able to be an archer like me.”

She continues to remain silent.

“… Y-You could consider it a lucky bow too…” he can feel a flush rising up his neck, “I was using it during the battle… that returned you to us.”

“You said this was one of your old bows?” Kamui finally murmurs as she takes it into her hands reverently.

“Aa…”

“A-And you just said it’s your lucky bow… because it brought me… home?”

“… yes…”

“… Will we still be able to practice together?”

“If that’s what you want…”

“Yes, I do! And I’ll treasure this forever! Thank you so much!” Kamui exclaims before throwing her arms around him without a thought.

It’s an awkward hug with the bow in her hand digging into his back. He is also taken by surprise and unsure of where to put his hands. He finally settles on placing them lightly against her back. But there’s something about this that catches on his memories.

It’s impossible for this hug to feel the same as it did in his half-remembered childhood. Kamui would have been taller than him at that age, being older than him. He wouldn’t have been able to feel her chin tucked over his shoulder like this. His jaw wouldn’t have been brushing against the crown of her head like this.

And yet.

And yet… there is a sense of nostalgia and _familiarity_ in the way her arms wrap around his back and the way her fingers dig into his shoulders; in the scent that surrounds him and the soft figure pressing against him. He tightens his arms around her, drawing her closer into him, and buries his face into the arch of her shoulder and neck. A minute shudder wracks through his frame.

It feels right. Like something fitting. Like _they_ fit. Like family. Like home.

“Welcome home… sister.” He breathes out.

“… did you say something?”

“No, it was nothing.”

The letter in his pocket weighs heavily.


End file.
